26 One Shots
by muishie
Summary: B is for Biology. Troy & Sharpay. Gabriella
1. Abuse

I stepped into a part of Troy's life that I never knew existed. Beyond everything that was grey and middle ground, this seemed to turn my perspective into two shades of black and white. And I never knew pain until I witnessed this; moreover I never knew I would witness something like this with Troy in my presence.

My mother, a playful socialite, even more playful since her divorce with my dad, she's the head of the PTA committee at school. And she puts on these events that are stupid, really, but I know it keeps her occupied because I know she misses dad.

I still remember the day and I don't think I'd ever hated summer as much as I did that exact moment. My mother insisted that I went five antagonising hours early to the Bolton's house (where the summer dinner would be held) to help out Marie Bolton, who was co-head of the PTA alongside my mother.

"This needs to be perfect Sharpay." She was smoothing out the creases on her pencil skirt as I finished off the last of my sandwich. I groaned at her, thinking she was overdoing things, as I always did these days.

"Get Ryan to do it then. I want to get in some practice time..." Then she cuts me off.

My mother is the type of person who hates humiliation. She either shuts herself away from it or denies that it exists. When she heard about the Twinkle Towne musical, she didn't tell me she was angry at me. It was more like a "you should focus on something you're good at sweetie" sort of thing. It was painful.

When she met Gabriella Montez, on the other hand, she began to treat her like she was her daughter. And I was gradually pushed to the sidelines. I mean, if you think about it, it feels rather crap having your mother favouring your past enemy over her own daughter.

So she cuts me off and gives me that sickly sweet patronising smile.

"Honey," she tilts her head and I realise she's had so much botox lately that she can't not smile. "Oh honey what have I told you about the music?" I was silent for a while. She shakes her head as if she understands what I'm going through and throws her pair of keys at me. "Please, just go now. Marie will need help setting up the place and I want you to be there to help her."

So that's how I end up at the Bolton's. I park my mother's BMW in the driveway and take the headphones of my I-pod out of my ear.

Up till that moment, I remember everything so clearly; almost too clearly. Like I shouldn't really remember these events but it replays in my mind like a broken tape or something. I'm angry in that moment, at my mother for telling me to do things that I don't want to do because I'm just so tired.

Marie Bolton is like mother hen to her neighbourhood. She bakes the world's best cookies and makes her own jam. She's...almost like the perfect mom.

"Sharpay, it's always so good to see you!" Her hair is tied up in a bun, dark brown strands hanging at her pleasant face as she steps to the side and invites me in. "I just made a fresh batch of cookies."

I smile. "Then I'm glad I'm here to taste test." She laughs and leads me into the kitchen where there's already music playing the classics like The Beatles. It's loud and Mrs Bolton is dancing around in the kitchen.

"Oh, you know how Jack loves The Beatles," she drawls, referring to the music blasting from the speakers. I nod and laugh. "Sharpay, go ahead and dig in." The cookies are still in their baking tray and there are all sorts of other dishes being prepared for the coming evening.

"Do you mind if I just go and freshen up?" I'm almost shouting over the music but Marie smiles and leads me to the staircase.

"You remember where the toilets are."

That's when everything happened. The music is loud for a reason. My steps are silent as I reach the top of the stairs and...

"We're down by ten points! How the hell do you think we'll catch up now?" I realise its Coach Bolton's voice but he's not having friendly banter. I'm instinctively hiding behind the near wall and staring at the back of Troy, whose stature is slumped, head in hands as he's sitting on his bed. Coach Bolton is towering over him in such a menacing way I never thought possible.

"For fuck sake Troy. Get your fucking act together."

We lost last week's game against West Coast and Coach Bolton had been in a mood that we hadn't made it to the finals. If only I knew how mad he was. That game was one of the things that were constantly replaying in my mind. Gabriella wasn't there. If she was, would East High have won? If East High had won, would Troy be shouted at right now?

Then his fist came down on his face in an instant. So quickly, yet contrastingly slow that I held my breath in just watching it happen. I was coward and watched Troy sway to the side, his arms in an instant defence. But Coach Bolton only hit him once. And I realise that Troy never really flinched. He's accustomed to this. After that, I watched Mr Bolton slowly retreat to the staircase like it never happened. No words were exchanged and Troy looked wrecked.

Coach Bolton was only millimetres away from me for exactly three seconds as I was hiding behind that wall with my breath held praying to God he hadn't spotted me. The music is loud for a reason.

There was just no way Marie could have heard the blow upstairs when Yellow Submarine was flaring out of the phonograph downstairs. When I turned myself around back, I realise I'm staring at Troy for what seems like an eternity. There's something so frail, broken, demonic yet angelic about his form. I can only imagine repulsively what his face is like, but I try not to as I just close my eyes and wait for the seconds to go by.

This is when I try and tell myself that things happen for a reason. But from what I saw, I try and convince myself that they don't either. It's then when I realise that Troy is staring straight at me.

He saw my shaken reflection on his mirror where there are posters of different basketball players and he just looks at me, like he's looking straight through me.

And before I knew what I was doing, I was walking towards him. Walking until I reach the bed and I can see his reflection much better. But reflections aren't good enough as I walk around his bed and crouch down on my knees before him.

"Troy." He's vulnerable. And I know he's feeling this pain that I've never felt before, but feel like I can relate to at the same time. At the time, my fingers just moved towards his arm.

He flinches at my touch like I've pricked a needle in his arm. "Don't touch me."

There's already a bruise forming around his eye; so pink and swollen and so black and white and not grey. I try again, but I give him all the time he wants.

"Don't fucking touch me."

The thing is I've never heard Troy swear in all my life. It's a scary thing because his eyes are dilated and he's glaring down at me. But I could see past that. I don't know how I could, but Troy could see that too and for a split second, I can see the change in his expression, before he puts his guard up almost instantly.

"Troy," I whisper quietly at him again. He breathes heavily this time. "Troy." At these moments, you're not really sure what to say.

I trace my finger over the bruise on his forehead. Mr and Mrs Bolton are downstairs. The music is loud. But I could hear their laughs. Marie is oblivious to the world I realise; she has no idea.

Troy doesn't flinch the second time.

I count exactly forty-three seconds before I feel him lean into my hand, his eyes closing. And he falls on me. And then we were both on the floor. Moments like those, you're suddenly sure of what to do, even when it seems so unclear.

Troy had his head on my lap. His usually tall, lean and well defined build seemed so small and tiny all of a sudden. I felt like I was holding a five-year old Troy in my arms. And he was crying.

Troy never told anyone what was going on. That's when I knew I shared this with him. I didn't know whether I wanted to. But with Troy, I never did sympathise him. I never pitied him. Because it was never pity that Troy needed.

Troy just needed...

"Please," he was begging quietly, and I held his head close to me, our bodies were tangled in the most awkward position but it seemed like we were clinging onto each other for dear life. We were holding onto each other as if one would die if the other let go. "Just..."

That was when my memory had a block. It blurred. I can't exactly recall each single individual event after that like I could before, but all I could remember was holding Troy and whispering soothing things into his ear that I was sure didn't make sense for at least an hour.

Marie Bolton must have forgotten about me, I'm sure, or she just didn't bother checking in on me.

After that he was driving my car. I wasn't sure how it happened. We climbed down the drain pipe at the side of his room. Then he was telling me this lift story that I was in the black about. That everyone, including his own mother didn't know about.

And I shared something with Troy in that moment. I began to share something with him that would last forever. Troy is vulnerable. He's happy, he's MVP and he's a boyfriend. Troy is a lot of things. But forever now, he was like mine.

"...I'm not who everyone thinks I am."

And then he switched of the engine. I wasn't sure what to say. But just, our hands unconsciously gripped each others on the gear stick as we had rolled into a near empty parking lot at McDonalds.

The next few minutes were odd. I was telling Troy things about my life which seemed so unnecessary amongst the troubles he was going through. But as I was telling Troy about the time Ryan pushed me off the jungle gym, and I glanced over at him, he was smiling at me. Only slightly, as if to say "I'm okay".

"Do you know how it feels?"

It frightened me to know that he was sharing his pain. He looked over at me, his eyes bold, daring but so scared at the same time. And I just shook my head.

"It's like..." There was a family leaving McDonalds, happy and a baby crying that I could see in the side view mirror. "Like laying waste to the world and everything in it."

Like laying waste to the world and everything in it. Our hands were still touching and I wasn't sure I wanted to let go; wasn't sure if I ever wanted to let go.

"You're okay."

We let our phones ring and just watched the sun go down instead. It was peaceful, just sitting there. Troy's went off for the third time before he put his voicemail on loudspeaker. Then we could both hear Gabriella, frustrated and annoyed amongst other emotions.

"Troy where are you? I've been here for over an hour and even Chad's turned up." There was a sigh and a pause. "Whatever, just call me."

The sky is yellow, red and iridescent blue when we decide to drive around the town to nowhere.

"I don't want to go home," I tell him. Troy can only understand too much. And we still hold onto each other, tighter and more desperate for something to hold onto.

"We don't have to."

Fin.


	2. Biology

Sharpay sighed, shoving her partner out of the way and snatching the scalpel from him.

"It's not rocket science Troy. You make the incision here on the right," and she poked one rubber gloved finger at the dead pig's heart, looking back up at her partner.

"Okay, I get it. Geez, stop your moaning. You know any normal person would be scared to do this," putting the emphasis on the fact that she was abnormal. Sharpay blew a few wisps of her hair out of her face as they both turned to Taylor and Gabriella, who were being unnecessarily squeamish.

Taylor: Oh my God it's still alive. It's beating! It's beating. Euch. Ew.

Gabriella: You know Science Club never informed us about this upcoming..."endeavour". I am never eating meat again.

Taylor: I mean poor pig...

Gabriella: Really, _really_ poor pig. Ew it just moved!

"It's hard to believe," Troy murmured. Sharpay snapped her head towards him and narrowed her eyes in an instant.

"And that means?"

"I mean...no offense but you're good at this subject."

"No girl would take offense to a comment like that; only the way you said it sort of implied..."

"Nope. No implications Sharpay."

Then Troy took the scalpel from her _again_ and started to make an incision _again_, this time in the right place. And before Troy could get anymore closer to the tissue fat, Sharpay groaned and _again_, repeated her earlier movements by snatching the scalpel from Troy and taking the liberty of slapping him around the head with the palm of her hand.

"Hey! You better not have got dead pig on my hair."

"Grow a pair. You're doing it wrong again."

"You said the right..." he leaned forward in frustration, towering over Sharpay a little.

"The right ventricle Troy." He gave her a deadpan stare. "Not the right side. The right ventricle. Remember, left is right and right is left on the heart!" She pulled him towards the organ. "Weren't you looking at where I was prodding it?"

Evidently "no...well no, I wasn't."

"Ugh. You're a ditz."

"And you're good at Biology."

"For the last time, Troy that's not an insult."

"Well, to you it should be."

Sharpay wanted to stab her scalpel in his face and made a good point in doing so by pointing towards him with it. Her cheeks were pink and her patience was running out. Troy manoeuvred himself away from the blonde and called Mr Bailey over.

"Why did you just call the teacher? I have this covered! What you don't trust my biological knowledge?"

Troy rolled his eyes heavenward as their teacher approached them and Sharpay quickly made the opening in the ventricle in two swift motions, just as Mr Bailey reached them.

He smiled. "Ah, yes. Very well executed Miss Evans." He looked over appraisingly at Troy and tutted at him. "Mr Bolton I do wish you'd be a little more..."

"Ballsy," Sharpay coughed.

"Confident," Mr Bailey chastised. "I thought pairing you with Miss Evans here would at least teach you a thing or two. You know, she's one of my top five students." Sharpay gave a satirical smirk towards her partner. "Well, I can't say you both haven't worked well over the past month. I mean, you have Biology."

"We have..." Troy raised an eyebrow.

Mr Bailey laughed. "You know that term – you have so much chemistry – well Biology applies here". Sharpay bit back a scornful laugh. "Get on with it then...next stage, Troy I'd like to see you try dissecting the vena cava." The old man walked away to the next table as Gabriella sidled to their bench.

"It's okay Troy. Personally, I think it's adorable that you show sensitivity towards -"

Sharpay pushed between them, one un-gloved albeit smelly hand on Gabriella's shoulder, and her other tousling Troy's hair.

"Back off Gabby, we have this covered. Besides...we have Biology."


End file.
